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By Michael Dapper
VRA Page Webmaster
Iron Butt. To non-riders, it’s a silly name, maybe even an insult.
To a motorcyclist, it’s a badge of honor. It means a rider has ridden at least 1,000 miles in under 24 hours, or greater distances in incrementally longer periods of time.
No award from the Iron Butt Assn. (IBA) is easily earned. There’s at least 1,000 miles of riding involved in a limited amount of time.
So today we’re asking for the names of Victory Riders who have earned Iron Butt awards. A few years back, we scrolled through the IBA listings on the group’s website in search of Victory Riders’ names. Never again. It was an eye-killing exercise pouring through thousands and thousands of names.
So if you have earned an Iron Butt on a Victory, let’s hear from you. Photos are especially welcome, too. Send us a note via the Victory Mailbag.
We know a lot of great Victory Riders who have earned Iron Butt honors – including several of the Victory engineers who ran a 4 Corners relay around the continental United States on an early production Victory Vision.
We are also aware of a few Victory Riders who have earned multiple IBA awards, including:
• Gregor Moe. The man who recently set a national speed record on a Victory Kingpin has ridden several Iron Butts, including multiple SaddleSore 1000 runs and some Great Lakes circle trips.
• Craig McKittrick. He rode six Iron Butts on other brands of bikes, then, after purchasing a Vegas 8-Ball last spring, he promptly rode a SaddleSore 1000 on the first leg of his ride from Florida to Sturgis.
• Steve Rolland. “Rollin’” is one of our heroes because not only has he notched several SaddleSore 1000s on his Vegas, he also rode the bike on the daunting 48-10, which requires a rider to touch a wheel in all 48 lower states in 10 days.
Historic 48-10
Rollin’, who lives in Wisconsin, made his epic 48-10 ride in August 2008. You can learn about his route and some of his adventures HERE.
After submitting his documentation to the IBA, he received certification for his feat in January 2009.
“It's official,” Rollin’ said after receiving his 48-10 certificate and pin. “[I was] the very first Victory certified for the 48 states in less than 10 days ride. Mike Kneebone from the IBA also sent me a list of all the riders that have done this ride. Since 1989, 40 riders have done this ride, and two of the 40 did the ride with a passenger!
“This does inspire me to do more rides!”
That means Rollin’ and his Vegas were one of only 40 riders in 20 years to accomplish the feat. Very cool.
New Bike
For future Iron Butt rides, Rollin’ will be on a different Victory. Since his 48-10 ride, he purchased a Kingpin, which he has modified to suit his long-riding style. He sent photos so we could see the new ride.
“Not a very good picture of my Kingpin,” he apologized. “I took this picture after the ‘To Hell and Back’ Iron Butt ride. I tried a few new things on this ride. In the luggage rack bag is a 2-gallon auxiliary fuel tank. I also added a EZ-Pass toll pass holder. Not stopping for tolls will save a lot of time. Looking for ways to save time on next year’s ride. I can't wait to try.”
He also upgraded his seat. “I was very happy with my Mustang seat on the Vegas, so I also put one on the Kingpin.”
Are You a Victory Iron Butt?
So, if you have earned an Iron Butt on a Victory, tell us about it – and send a photo of you and your bike. Send us a note via the Victory Mailbag.
Sabbath Silence?
We made the pledge earlier this week to pull an Iron Butt of blogging by posting a Victory Blog every day of October. The response was deafening (insert cricket chirping here).
But we did receive a couple notes from Victory Riders who said they primarily look at the internet while online at work during the week, so they wouldn’t be seeing the weekend blogs. Thus, we’re reconsidering whether to trot out the daily blogs. There will be a blog staff meeting later today (if we can find a phone booth) where we’ll make a decision.
Happy Birthday…
…to Sonny. And here’s to many more.
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